Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

सांबादित्यस्य माहात्म्यं कथितं ते महामते । यच्छ्रुत्वापि नरो जातु यमलोकं न पश्यति

Transliteration

sāṃbādityasya māhātmyaṃ kathitaṃ te mahāmate | yacchrutvāpi naro jātu yamalokaṃ na paśyati

Translation

Ô grand d’esprit, je t’ai exposé la grandeur de Sāmbāditya. L’ayant entendue, l’homme ne voit jamais, en aucun temps, le monde de Yama, le royaume de la mort.

Word by Word

• सांबादित्यस्य: of Sāmbāditya
• सांबादित्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांबादित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—सांब + आदित्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• माहात्म्यम्: glory; greatness
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• कथितम्: told; narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘कथितम्’ = ‘has been told’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (6th/4th Gen/Dat), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) अधिकयुक्ता

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + मति (कर्मधारयः)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Acc), एकवचन; ‘यत्’ = ‘which/that (thing)’

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having heard’

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातु: ever; at any time
• जातु: Desha-Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• यमलोकम्: Yama’s world (realm of death)
• यमलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—यमस्य लोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāmbāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as 'mahāmati' (a wise listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated near a sun-shrine in Kāśī listens to the māhātmya; behind, Yama’s dark city fades while golden solar radiance expands over ghāṭas and temples.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmbāditya
• Yama
• Yamaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing (śravaṇa) of a tīrtha/deity’s māhātmya is itself a Dharma-practice that grants protection from fear of death and Yama’s realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Varanasi) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, specifically the Sāmbāditya-related sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it is a phalaśruti emphasizing merit gained by hearing the māhātmya.